And now, after a man has appeared in court charged with her murder, the charity she volunteered for has told of their sadness at her death.

The 38-year-old, from Wallsend, was an active campaigner for the RNIB, (Royal National Institute of Blind People), the UK’s leading charity supporting blind and partially sighted people.

Jillian Grant

Today its chief executive, Sally Harvey, has paid her own personal tribute to Jillian.

She said: “We are deeply saddened and shocked to learn of the death of Jillian Grant. Jill has been an important member of RNIB’s community over the years and she played a key role in a number of volunteer positions, including actively campaigning on issues affecting blind people. We will miss Jill greatly. Our thoughts and condolences are with her family, friends and former colleagues during this difficult period.”

As part of her work to improve rights for blind people Jillian volunteered to take North Tyneside Elected Mayor Norma Redfearn on a blindfold walk around Wallsend to give her a better understanding of the daily challenges blind people face.

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At the time, Jillian said: “I am delighted that the mayor accompanied me and got an understanding of some of the many difficulties I face every day. I hope it also highlighted many aspects of daily life that sighted people take for granted.”

And Coun Redfearn added: “I’m very grateful that Jill asked me to be take part in this walk. I wanted to experience for myself the problems encountered on a daily basis by our residents and visitors who are blind or partially sighted.”

Police on Tennyson Terrace in North Shields (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)

In 2014 Jillian was also among a team of campaigners from the North east who spoke out about their negative experiences of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) at a Work and Pensions Select Committee Meeting in Newcastle.

Jillian joined Adele Waterfall-Brown and Gerry Taylor to share their concerns about the assessment which determines people’s eligibility for Employment Support Allowance (ESA). These included a lack of information in accessible formats which led to missed appointments, the assessment not recognising the difficulty people with sight loss face in obtaining and retaining work and whether jobs are suitable.

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Jillian’s family have paid tribute to her in a statement.

It said: “Jillian was the kind of person who would stop and have a chat with a stranger in the street. She was friendly, loving and full of life; it was a genuine pleasure to be around her. She surrounded herself with her pets, who she loved to care for. Jillian also had an independent spirit, she didn’t let blindness stand in her way as she took up opportunities to travel and be a speaker for the RNIB. Above all, she was deeply loved by her family and will be missed by all who knew her.”

Jillian’s body was found at a home on Tennyson Terrace after emergency services were called to the property at around 1.30pm on Christmas Day.

Wearing a grey sweatshirt, he spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.

District Judge Kathryn Meek told him: “You have been charged with matters that can only be dealt with at the crown court. The first hearing where you will be entitled to make an application for bail will be on January 2.”